Zipper with improved fastening stability

ABSTRACT

A zipper with improved fastening stability is disclosed. The improved zipper opens and closes according to the engagement and separation of a plurality of coupling elements formed on facing surfaces of a pair of zipper tapes and includes a zipper slider for engaging and separating the coupling elements, guiding rails attached on upper surfaces of the zipper tapes, and an auxiliary slider that guides the guiding rails as they slide through it to thereby gather the zipper tapes before the coupling elements are engaged. The structure is compact, and the zipper can be engaged with minimal force, even when the garment is tightly stretched or the zippered enclosure (suitcase, e.g.) is tightly packed with material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a zipper with improved fastening stability, and more particularly to an improved zipper capable of engaging coupling elements of the zipper with a minimal effort by means of an auxiliary slider provided on the front side of the primary zipper slider in order to gather zipper tapes, while moving, ahead of the engaging of the coupling elements.

2. Related Prior Art

As generally known, in pockets of a jumper and pants, sacks and bags, running shoes, boots and so on, a variety of types of zippers are used to close an opened part.

Such a zipper was invented to reduce inconvenience from the necessity of tying and untying strings at every time of use. The zipper operates by a principle in which two rows of teeth, each of which is attached to its own fabric tape, are engaged with each other by pulling up a handle in the middle, thereby closing an opening between the teeth rows. When the handle is pulled down in the opposite direction, the teeth rows are separated, thereby opening the opening.

There are a variety of types of zippers: an exposed zipper showing on the outside of the garment or item, a concealed zipper covered by a seam and not showing on the outside, an open fastener in which teeth rows are separated at the starting end, a giant zipper having especially big teeth and a handle attached with decorations such as, for example, decorative stones, a flat zipper which is waterproof, and a safety zipper of which a handle is movable only when the handle is lifted up.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional zipper.

Referring to FIG. 1, the zipper 100 comprises a pair of zipper tapes 120 made of general fabric and arranged side by side and coupling elements 122 attached to the respective zipper tapes 120 and formed as teeth continuously arranged at predetermined intervals.

The zipper 100 also includes a slider 110 connected to the rows of the coupling elements 122 and having a handle 114 on an upper part, so that the coupling elements 122 arranged in a pair of rows are engaged with and separated from each other in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the slider 110, thereby opening and closing an opening between the rows of coupling elements.

When a user holds the handle 114 and pulls the slider 110 upward with respect to the drawing, a pair of separated coupling elements 122 located above the slider 110 are engaged with each other inside the slider 110. Conversely, when the slider 110 is pulled down, the engaged coupling elements are separated while passing through a slider body 112 of the slider 110.

However, with the conventional zipper as described above, when a space to be closed by the zipper is tightly stuffed, the user has to forcibly gather the zipper tapes together in order to pull up the slider 110. This demands the user to exert much force. Furthermore, if engagement of the coupling elements is broken by the pressure exerted by the contents of the enclosed space, the contents may flow out, and the zipper may even be irreparably damaged.

For example, a zipper provided on a corset, which is a piece of underwear used by women or some men in the past, is for forcibly arranging a body figure that will be revealed through outer clothes. Therefore, pressure exerted by the contents, which in this case is flesh, pushes strongly outward on the zipper so that it is difficult for the user to pull up the zipper slider easily by one hand.

In order to solve such a problem, an improved zipper was developed by the present applicant and filed on May 3, 2001 (KR Patent No. 10-404512 registered on Oct. 24, 2003).

The patented zipper (KR 10-404512) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, which are perspective views of another conventional zipper improved from the zipper of FIG. 1.

A zipper 10 according to KR 10-404512 cis equipped with a suppressor to prevent coupling elements from being separated by contents while a slider is closing an opening between the coupling elements, and also to prevent disengagement of the coupling elements after the opening is completely closed.

According to the zipper 10, a guide 40 for guiding the sliding movement of a slider assembly that opens and closes the opening of a jumper, a bag or the like, has a plate form. The plate-type guide 40 is equipped with guide rails 44 on which the slider assembly is supported such that it can slide.

A plurality of coupling elements 50 and 52 are fixed respectively to zipper tapes 60 and 62 constituting the zipper 10, on facing surfaces of the zipper tapes 60 and 62. The coupling elements 50 and 52 are engaged and separated in accordance with the forward and backward movement of an upper slider 20, which is a constituent of the slider assembly.

Here, a lower slider, which is also a constituent of the slider assembly, slides along the guide rail 44 formed on the plate-type guide 40.

The guide 40 for guiding the longitudinal movement of the lower slider 30 comprises a guide body 42 in the form of a plate and a guide rail 44 formed on the inner surfaces of the guide body 42 facing each other.

On an upper surface of the guide rail 44, a plurality of suppressing depressions 44 a are formed to provide a safety function that prevents the slider assembly from moving freely and thereby releasing the engagement between the coupling elements 50 and 52.

A thick portion 46 is formed at both outer sides of the guide body 42. A plurality of fastening holes 48 are formed on the thick portion 46, spaced at predetermined intervals. A fixing string or the like is inserted in the fastening hole 48 to restrict the motion of the guide 40.

To implement the patented zipper 10, however, the guide 40 comprising the guide body 42 and the guide rail 44 has to be dedicatedly manufactured and attached to a lower surface of the zipper tapes 60 and 62. This complicates the manufacturing process and furthermore deteriorates economic efficiency.

In addition, in the slider assembly of the zipper 10, since the upper slider 20 for engaging the coupling elements 50 and 52 and the lower slider 30 for engaging the guide rails 44 are layered, the whole thickness of the slider assembly is almost doubled. Therefore, the user may feel uneasy due to the prominent thickness. Furthermore, the slider assembly protruding out of clothes may even detract from the fashionable appearance of the clothes.

In the structure where the upper slider 20 for engaging the coupling elements 50 and 52 and the lower slider 30 for fastening the guide rails 44 are vertically layered, because a position where the upper slider 20 starts engaging the coupling elements 50 and 52 is the same as a position where the lower slider 30 starts gathering the guide rails 44, the lower slider 30 cannot gather the guide rails 44 in advance for engagement of the coupling elements 50 and 52.

In other words, the lower slider 30 is not functioning properly to relieve the force of the upper slider 20 for engaging the coupling elements 50 and 52.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a zipper with improved fastening stability, enabling easier engagement of coupling elements with a minimal effort by an auxiliary slider provided on the front side of a zipper slider to gather zipper tapes, while moving ahead of the engaging of the coupling elements.

In accordance with the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a zipper opened and closed according to engagement and separation of a plurality of coupling elements formed on facing surfaces of a pair of zipper tapes and including a zipper slider for engaging and separating the coupling elements, the zipper further comprising guiding rails attached to the upper surfaces of the zipper tapes at the respective outer sides of the coupling elements in a longitudinal direction; and an auxiliary slider linearly connected to a front side of the zipper slider and guiding the guiding rails through the inside thereof to thereby gather the zipper tapes before the coupling elements are engaged, so that fastening stability can be improved.

The auxiliary slider may comprise an upper body having a separating partition formed in the middle of a lower surface to form a plurality of guiding paths for engagement with the guiding rails at a lower part of the auxiliary slider, a lower support plate connected to a lower part of the upper body to form the guiding paths, and a fixing pin for connecting the upper body with the lower support plate.

The guiding rail may comprise depressions formed at regular intervals, and connection holes formed at the front bottom and rear bottom of the depressions for engagement with a sewing thread so that the guiding rails can be sewn onto the zipper tapes.

The auxiliary slider may further comprise a protruding portion formed at one end of the auxiliary slider and having a connection hole in the center for engagement with a connection link formed on the zipper slider.

The auxiliary slider may include separation-preventing walls extending vertically downward by a predetermined length on both sides of the upper body to prevent deviation of the auxiliary slider from the guiding rail passing through the guiding path.

The auxiliary slider may be suitably curved so that as the guiding path of the auxiliary slider moves toward an expanded portion formed on one side of the auxiliary slider, the guiding rails are widened and as the guiding path moves toward a narrowed portion formed on the other side of the auxiliary slider, the guiding rails are gathered.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional zipper.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of another conventional zipper improved versus the zipper of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a zipper with improved fastening stability according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a slider of the zipper with improved fastening stability according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the structure of an auxiliary zipper according to the embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing the operation of the auxiliary slider guiding the zipper with improved fastening stability according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a zipper with improved fastening stability according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a slider of the improved zipper according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the structure of an auxiliary zipper according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, an improved zipper 210 according to the embodiment of the present invention aims at facilitating engagement of the coupling elements by being equipped with an auxiliary slider formed on the front side of the zipper slider to gather the zipper tapes, while moving ahead of the engaging coupling elements.

In the improved zipper 210, a zipper slider 250 for engaging the coupling elements 50 and 52 which are not engaged yet, and an auxiliary slider 220 for gathering a pair of zipper tapes 60 on which each of the coupling elements 50 and 52 are fixed, facing each other, are linearly connected. The auxiliary slider 220 is disposed on the end of the zipper slider 250 that faces the unengaged coupling elements 50 and 52, that is, the front side of the zipper slider 250.

The auxiliary slider 220 and the zipper slider 250 are connected to each other through a connection link 260. Therefore, the zipper slider 250 moves passively in accordance with the movement of the auxiliary slider 220.

More specifically, the improved zipper 210 comprises the auxiliary slider 220 and the zipper slider 250. Here, the zipper slider 250 is a general zipper slider that opens and closes an opening formed between the coupling elements 50 and 52, by engaging and separating each row of the plurality of coupling elements 50 and 52 formed on the facing surfaces of the zipper tapes 60.

The zipper slider 250 has the connection link 260 connected with the auxiliary slider 220 at a rear upper end thereof. The zipper slider 250 also includes anti-separation walls 254 formed vertically downward on both sides, an upper body 252 having a separating partition 258 in the middle of a lower surface of the upper body 252, and a lower plate 256 connected to the upper body 252 through the separating partition 258 and blocking a lower part of the upper body 252. According to this structure, the coupling elements 50 and 52 are engaged with each other while passing through guiding paths formed by the separating partition 258, the upper body 252 and the lower plate 256.

The improved zipper 210 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided with a guiding rail 270 attached to the upper surfaces of the respective zipper tapes 60 at the respective outer sides of the coupling elements 50 and 52 in a longitudinal direction.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary slider 220 is linearly connected to the front side of the zipper slider 250. The auxiliary slider 220, while passing the guiding rails 270 through itself, guides the guiding rails 270, and gathers the zipper tapes 60 before engagement of the coupling elements 50 and 52.

More particularly, the auxiliary slider 220 comprises an upper body 222 having a separating partition 234 formed in the middle of a lower surface, a lower support plate 230 connected to a lower part of the upper body 222 to form guiding paths 236, and a fixing pin 242 for connecting the upper body 222 with the lower support plate 230.

The auxiliary slider 220 further includes a protruding portion 226 formed at one end thereof and having a connection hole 228 in the center for engagement with the connection link 260 formed on the zipper slider 250.

In addition, the auxiliary slider 220 includes anti-separation walls 224 extending vertically downward by a predetermined length on both sides of the upper body 222 to prevent deviation of the auxiliary slider 220 from the guiding rail 270 passing through the guiding path 236.

The guiding path 236 is suitably curved so that as the guiding path 236 of the auxiliary slider 220 moves toward an expanded portion 238 formed on one side of the auxiliary slider 220, the guiding rails 270 are widened. As the guiding path 236 moves toward a narrowed portion 240 formed on the other side of the auxiliary slider 220, the guiding rails 270 are gathered together.

The guiding rail 270 comprises depressions 272 formed at regular intervals and connection holes 274 formed at a front bottom and a rear bottom of the depressions 272 for engagement with a sewing thread 276. Therefore, the guiding rails 270 can be sewn onto the zipper tapes 60. However, the method for attaching the guiding rail 270 to the zipper tape 60 is not limited to sewing using sewing thread 276, but other various methods can be employed.

Also, the material of the guiding rails 270 is not limited. Synthetic resin having an adequate strength or metal may be used for the guiding rails 270. The auxiliary slider 220 is also unlimited in its material and therefore can be made of synthetic resin or metal.

The function and operation of the zipper 210 with improved fastening stability will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view showing the improved zipper 210 being guided by the auxiliary slider 220.

Referring to FIG. 7, the improved zipper 210 is structured in such a manner that the expanded portion 238 of the auxiliary slider 220 is disposed on the end of the zipper that faces the unengaged coupling elements 50 and 52, and the guiding rails 270 are engaged with the guiding path 236 respectively.

The narrowed portion 240 of the auxiliary slider 220 is disposed on the end of the zipper that faces the engaged coupling elements 50 and 52, and it is connected horizontally to the zipper slider 250.

Therefore, when a handle 244 formed on the expanded portion 238 of the auxiliary slider 220 is pulled up, the auxiliary slider 220 moves along the guiding rails 270 and thereby gathers the guiding rails 270 attached to the respective outer sides of the coupling elements 50 and 52 facing each other.

The diameter of the guiding path 236 of the auxiliary slider 220 increases toward the expanded portion 238 and decreases toward the narrowed portion 240. Therefore, as the auxiliary slider 220 moves up, the guiding rails 270 are brought into close contact with each other. Accordingly, the zipper tapes 60 are gathered by the guiding rails 270.

In this state, the coupling elements 50 and 52 gathered by the auxiliary slider 220 pass through the zipper slider 250, thereby being engaged with each other.

Thus, according to the improved zipper 210, the coupling elements 50 and 52 can be gathered easily by the auxiliary slider 220 and therefore easily engaged with each other.

Especially, if such an improved zipper 210 is applied to a corset, the user will be able to operate the zipper 210 without exerting much force, even using one hand, in spite of the pressure of the flesh enclosed in the corset.

Here, the engagement of the coupling elements 50 and 52 can be facilitated because the auxiliary slider 220 gathers the coupling elements 50 and 52 in advance before the coupling elements 50 and 52 reach a position of being engaged by the zipper slider 250.

Since the auxiliary slider 220 and the zipper slider 250 are connected horizontally, the whole thickness of the slider assembly will not increase, thereby reducing a bulky feeling during use. Additionally, utilization efficiency of the guiding rail 270 is very high because the guiding rail 270 can be applied easily to a general conventional zipper tape.

When releasing the engagement of the coupling elements 50 and 52 using the improved zipper 210, the zipper slider 250 moves between the engaged coupling elements 50 and 52 and during this motion, the separating partition 258 within the zipper slider 250 separates the coupling elements 50 and 52.

As the auxiliary slider 220 in connection with the zipper slider 250 moves along the guiding rails 270 attached to the respective outer sides of the coupling elements 50 and 52, the guiding rails 270 are widened. Accordingly, the zipper tapes 60 can be separated with a minimal effort. Thus, convenience in use is highly improved.

As can be appreciated from the above description, according to the improved zipper of the present invention, an auxiliary slider gathers unengaged coupling elements in advance so that a zipper slider can engage the coupling elements more easily. In addition, the horizontal structure of the zipper slider and the auxiliary slider helps reduce the volume of the slider assembly, thereby reducing a bulky feeling associated with the zipper. Moreover, since zipper tapes having the coupling elements can be flattened by guiding rails, it becomes easier to achieve the engagement between the coupling elements.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 

1. A zipper that is opened and closed according to engagement and separation of a plurality of coupling teeth elements formed on facing surfaces of a pair of zipper tapes and including a zipper slider for engaging and separating the coupling elements, the zipper comprising: guiding rails attached on upper surfaces of the zipper tapes at respective outer sides of the coupling elements in a longitudinal direction; and an auxiliary slider linearly connected to the front side of the zipper slider and guiding the guiding rails as they slide through the inside thereof to thereby gather the zipper tapes before the coupling elements are engaged, so that fastening stability can be improved.
 2. The zipper with improved fastening stability according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary slider comprises an upper body having a separating partition formed in the middle of a lower surface to form a plurality of guiding paths for engagement with the guiding rails at a lower part of the auxiliary slider, a lower support plate connected to a lower part of the upper body to form the guiding paths, and a fixing pin for connecting the upper body to the lower support plate.
 3. The zipper with improved fastening stability according to claim 1, wherein the guiding rail comprises depressions formed at regular intervals, and connection holes formed at a front bottom and a rear bottom of the depressions for engagement with a sewing thread so that the guiding rails can be sewn onto the zipper tapes.
 4. The zipper with improved fastening stability according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary slider further comprises a protruding portion formed at one end of the auxiliary slider and having a connection hole in the center for engagement with a connection link formed on the zipper slider.
 5. The zipper with improved fastening stability according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary slider includes anti-separation walls extending vertically downward by a predetermined length on both sides of the upper body to prevent deviation of the auxiliary slider from the guiding rail passing through the guiding path.
 6. The zipper with improved fastening stability according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary slider is suitably curved so that as the guiding path of the auxiliary slider moves toward an expanded portion formed on one side of the auxiliary slider, the guiding rails are widened, and as the guiding path moves toward a narrowed portion formed on the other side of the auxiliary slider, the guiding rails are gathered. 